Song School Spanish Curriculum || Homeschool Review

This curriculum was sent to me in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions and ideas mentioned here are my own. If you prefer to watch a video version of this review, please head here to my YouTube channel.

If you are looking for a fun homeschool Spanish curriculum with songs, videos and hands-on games, I’ve got one to share with you today! You may have heard of Song School Latin, but did you know there is a similar course in Spanish produced by the same company? I stumbled upon Song School Spanish when looking for a completely different homeschool curriculum. I am so glad I found it!

Let me introduce it to you with a few basic details. Then, I’ll share some of our pros/cons and final thoughts. First, the program is very reasonably priced considering there are video, audio, workbook and game components included. Each lesson (with the exception of the review lessons) includes three video segments where the teacher introduces new vocabulary, has a “real life” visit to show vocabulary words in context and explains a Spanish grammar concept. The total length of the video portion of the lesson ranges from 6-10 minutes. The second part of the lesson includes 2-3 songs containing the new vocabulary words. Finally, the last part of the lesson directs the student to complete 1-2 workbook pages. In total, the lesson takes us 15-20 minutes.

The curriculum package also includes a set of playing cards with multiple review game options. We opted to include these games during the scheduled review weeks because there was no prepared video. There is a pair of cards for each vocab word in the course, with the English word on one card and the Spanish translation on the other. While Memory is the most intuitive game to play, there are directions for other varieties of review games, also.

Now, let’s talk about the pros/cons. First, here’s what we really liked about the program:

1. The video clips for each lesson are the perfect length for K-3rd students.
2. The instructor on the video speaks directly to the student and elicits answers to questions.
3. The “real life” visit segments provide context to the newly learned vocabulary words. My kids loved the familiarity of seeing the same little girl in those segments from lesson to lesson.
4. The workbook lessons are a great mix of copywork, matching, fill in the blank and drawing activities. It should not tax the most reluctant of writers. I have one of those type of kiddos, so the varied activities were a major pro for us.
5. Review is built-in gently, with simple workbook activities, the card game and a scheduled review lesson periodically. The pacing of the review lessons seemed spot on to when my son needed to stop and review.
6. Role play and interactive games are included in the workbook. My kids loved going around our home to practice their Spanish words. I was very pleased that these types of activities were already planned out for us.

Now, let’s talk about the things that we didn’t necessarily enjoy.

1. So it’s weird to say this, considering the name of the program, but we did not care for the songs – overall. At the beginning, they were helpful and simple. As the course went on, it almost seemed like they were performances instead of teaching tools. It was hard for my kids to comprehend the vocabulary and follow the singing. The vocalist tended to do runs and slides that were awkward and detracting from the purpose of the songs. The chants and simpler songs were fine, but once we got about halfway through the course, we just stopped listening to the songs and I made up my own tune. (The lyrics are provided in the workbook.)
2. Since most of my children’s exposure to Spanish will most likely be audible, I would have liked to have an audio/visual version of the lesson quiz. There is currently only a written quiz.
3. There are only two levels/books available in this course. Since language study thrives on continuity, I wish we could continue with this course through middle school, increasing in difficulty as we go. Understandably, the songs, kiddish workbooks and games could adjust and then disappear as levels go up.

With perhaps an exception for the first one, the cons were really just preferences, not flaws. There isn’t too much negative to say about this course. We love it and can’t wait to start Book 2 after the holidays. If you’d like to follow us in the next level, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for updates!

Did I leave anything out that you need to know? Have you used Song School Spanish? Leave me your comments and questions below!